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4709 

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D5 

1921 

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■ '.'  1 

THE 

DIALOGUE 

BETWEEN 

oAn  ALMANAC    SELLER 

A  N  D    A 

PASSER-BY 

The    A  U  T  H  O  R 

QIACOMO    LEOTA%DI 


SAN     FRANCISCO 

e/f  oNew  Tear  Qreeting  from  Edwin  and  Robert  Grabhom 

M  CM  XX  I 


THE  if^i 

DIALOGUE 


Translated  from  the  Italian  by 

CHARLES     EDWARDES 


Almanac  Seller.  Almanacs!   New  Almanacs!  New 

Calendars!  Who  wants  new  Almanacs? 

Passer-by.  Almanacs  for  the  New  Year? 

Almanac  Seller.  Yes,  Sir. 

Passer-by.  Do  you  think  this  New  Year  will  be  a 

happy  one  ? 

Almanac  Seller.  Yes,  to  be  sure.  Sir. 

Passer-by.  As  happy  as  last  year? 

Almafiac  Seller.  Much  more  so. 

Passer-by.  As  the  year  before? 

Almanac  Seller.  Still  more,  Sir. 

Passer-by.  Why  ?  Should  you  not  like  the  New  Year 

to  resemble  one  of  the  past  years? 


M  35  «7 


4  The   DIALOGUE 

Almanac  Seller.  No,  Sir,  I  should  not. 

Passer-by.  How  many  years  have  gone  by  since  you 

began  to  sell  almanacs? 

Almanac  Seller.  About  twenty  years,  Sir. 

Passer-by.  Which  of  the  twenty  should  }'ou  wish  the 

New  Year  to  be  like? 

Almanac  Seller.  I  do  not  know. 

Passer-by.  Do  you  not  remember  any  particular  year 

which  you  thought  a  happy  one? 

Almanac  Seller.  Indeed  I  do  not,  Sir. 

Passer-by.  And  yet  life  is  a  fine  thing,  is  it  not  ? 

Almanac  Seller.  So  they  say. 

Passer-by.  Would  you  not  like  to  live  these  twenty 

years,  and  even  all  your  past  life  from  }^our  birth, 

over  again? 

Almanac  Seller.  Ah,  dear  Sir,  would  to  God  I  could ! 

Passer-by.  But  if  you  had  to  live  over  again  the  life 

you  have  already  lived,  with  all  its  pleasures  and 

sufferings  ? 

Almanac  Seller.  I  should  not  like  that. 


The   DIALOGUE  5 

Passer-by.  Then  what  other  life  would  you  like  to 
live?  Mine,  or  that  of  the  Prince,  or  whose?  Do  you 
not  think  that  I,  or  the  Prince,  or  anyone  else,  would 
reply  exaftly  as  you  have  done;  and  that  no  one 
would  wish  to  repeat  the  same  life  over  again  ? 
Almanac  Seller.  I  do  believe  that. 
Passer-by.  Then  would  you  recommence  it  on  this 
condition,  if  none  other  were  offered  you? 
Almanac  Seller.  No,  Sir,  indeed  I  would  not. 
Tasser-by.  Then  what  life  would  you  like? 
Almanac  Seller.  Such  an  one  as  God  would  gi\'e  me 
without  any  conditions. 

Passer-by.  A  life  at  hap-hazard,  and  of  \vhich  you 
would  know  nothing  beforehand,  as  }'Ou  know 
nothing  about  the  New  Year? 
Alma?iac  Seller.  Exa61;ly. 

Passer-by.  It  is  what  I  should  wish,  had  I  to  live  my 
life  over  again,  and  so  would  every  one.  But  this 
proves  that  Fate  has  treated  us  all  badly.  And  it  is 
clear  that  each  person  is  of  opinion  that  the  evil  he 


6  The   DIALOGUE 

has  experienced  exceeds  the  good,  if  no  one  would 

wish  to  be  re-born  on  condition  of  living  his  own 

life  over  again  from  the  beginning,  with  just  its  same 

proportion  of  good  and  evil.  This  life,  which  is  such 

a  fine  thing,  is  not  the  life  we  are  acquainted  with, 

but  that  of  which  we  know  nothing;  it  is  not  the 

past  life,  but  the  fiiture.  With  the  New  Year  Fate 

will  commence  treating  you,  and  me,  and  everyone 

well,  and  the  happy  life  will  begin.  Am  I  not  right? 

Almanac  Seller.  Let  us  hope  so. 

Passer-by.  Show  me  the  best  almanac  you  have. 

Almanac  Seller.  Here  it  is,  Sir.  This  is  worth  thirty 

soldi. 

Passer-by.  Here  are  thirty  soldi. 

Almanac  Seller.  Thank  you,  Sir.  Good  day,  Sir. — 

Almanacs!  New  Almanacs!  New  Calendars! 


